The Conservatives have accused the government of putting together a de facto Euro-army for the peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan. A contribution of 30 soldiers from New Zealand is the only contribution to the roughly 3000-strong force to come from beyond the European continent.

Shadow defence secretary Bernard Jenkin said the force was a Euro-army in all but name. "Multinational military operations are always complex, but this is much more so than necessary because some countries, including the UK, are pursuing a private agenda," he said.

Canada is reported to have been angered by the failure to take up its offer of 1000 troops. The composition of the force was decided by Britain, which is commanding it for an initial three month period.